Here comes the Big Wood again! Our rewarded with some of the seasons best fishing. Silver Creek on the other hand is low right now as the annual recharge is still a month and a half away. Fishing remains decent on the Creek despite the fact that many anglers are still finding it the only game in town. The Lost River is coming up below the dam and should only be fished with caution. The East Fork of the Lost and Copper Basin waters are high and getting higher with the warm days and thunder storms. The Little Wood is running higher also.
The long and short of it: area anglers need to practice seven to ten days more patience. Once this second runoff has receded we will be rewarded with epic fishing. The Creek will be coming up as Tricos begin to show. Green Drakes and Salmon Flies will cover the Big Wood as it goes down, and Lost River waters will remind everyone why we choose to fish in paradise!second runoff has begun and should continue well into the week. The South Fork of the Boise is about to be cranked up, and boaters that give it a day or two to settle in will be
Silver Creek
The Creek is still a busy place these days, although downstream waters like Point of Rocks and the Willows have all but been deserted. Strong Caddis activity at night makes this a great opportunity to cast at big fish with few people around. The Conservancy waters are still producing strong P.M.D. and baetis activity with a limited Callibaetis opportunity on the sloughs. The midge fishing on the Creek seems to be the best and most frequent opportunity to cast at rising fish. The good news is the midge brings the fish to the surface when there is nothing else to eat. The down side is, we’ve been midge fishing all winter and a more reasonable bug in June would be nice. I guess we can consider this training for Trico season. Terrestrials and Green Drakes remain important players throughout the Conservancy stretches. The mosquito population is certainly blooming on the Creek. Don’t head down there without your bug spray and mosquito imitations.
Big Wood
The Wood continues to rise and is expected to be mostly unfishable this week. A few northern stretches and a few side channels may produce hook ups, but the “real deal” won’t get going until the water drops for good. If you consider this fishery this week, use extreme caution! We would suggest just waiting a week and keep tuning up on Silver Creek. In the meantime stockpile your Green Drake and Salmon Fly imitations. We are days away from seeing good numbers of these insects.
Little Wood
The river is coming up and not many people have been fishing the Little Wood. The highlight of the season here should be the Hoppers in another month or so. Waters above the reservoir are moving fast and there is little fishing opportunity as of now.
Lost River
The river keeps coming up above and below the dam. Both areas should begin to fish well in the coming weeks, but this week opportunities should be limited to a few soft seams and pools that can be nymphed with big bead headed Prince Nymphs under a strike indicator.
South Fork of the Boise
The flow hasn’t been cranked up as of this writing, but we were assured it would be brought up to good boatable flows in mid-June and here we are. Expect great caddis activity, Salmon Flies a few Cicadas and a few Pink Alberts to make the scene in the bottom of the canyon. Silver Creek Outfitters has some great Chernobyl style Salmon Flies, but they always sell fast so don’t wait for the hatch to load up on a few of these patterns. They are also very affective on the Big Wood.
Area Ponds and Reservoirs
All the area ponds have been stocked for the kids. The reservoirs are full and the boat ramps are accessible for the first time in years. If you have a boat or float tube and want to get some fun fishing in while you wait for area waters to drop, look no further.
In Closing
Patience, patience, patience. We will soon be rewarded with healthy fisheries, lot’s of room to spread out, and remarkable hatches.
WATER CONDITIONS
Basin Precip. Averages
Salmon – 78%
Big Wood – 91%
Little Wood – 115%
Big Lost – 104%
Henry’s Fork – 88%
